Dhading School Update

Here is my annual update on the Nepal school project. Plenty of work has been completed this year on re-building the school in Dhading. A number of folks including those on my treks have helped with generous donations and we raised over $6000 US (over 420,000 rupees) to provide a much improved facility for the children in this area.

The first project 2 years ago was to build toilets for the school. Up to then the children simply went to the bush. Now they have 2 toilets with running water - a hose from the ground with spring water. The second project was to level the hill beside the school to build a playground and now the soccer balls are easier to play with and don't disappear down into the forest as much!

When I saw the condition of the school in 2008, I knew that it did not need repairing, it needed to be re-built. With donations from travel talks and slideshows my sister Gail and I did over the past 3 years we were able to pay for the supplies to re-build 3 rooms and add 2 more in a new wing. The school now is able to attract more children and is nearly 60 students.

In Nepal, the government provides teacher salaries, the village provides the labor and our donations pay for supplies.


Krishna, the teacher, is now teaching at the high school an hour's walk up the hill, and his assistant is now the teacher at our school - the Jaleswari Primary School, Banjagara, Nalang Dhading, Nepal.

We have received some more donations this year and it is my vision to turn one of the rooms into a library! This is not just for the students at the school but also for the parents. The space could also be used for a community meeting room where the mothers of the village can meet, learn, read and socialize. As almost anywhere in the world, it is the women who really keep the village running here!

Included here are some photos showing the progress of building and what the result is - a beautiful new school for this remote community! Dhading is about 3 hours by jeep from Kathmandu and 2 hours trekking up a big hill with some amazing views of the Annapurnas!)

Namaste
and thank you all for your kind donations and interest,
Neil